What if Nurse Joy actually kills and replaces Pokémon? For budding Pokémon masters with dreams of being the very best like no one ever was, the world can be a big, dangerous place. Young trainers wouldn’t get very far without a helping hand every so often, and one of the most omnipresent helpers around is Nurse Joy. Players quickly learn to rely on her as they progress throughout the game, but is there actually something sinister behind that friendly face?
As far back as the Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow titles on the original Game Boy, Nurse Joy has appeared in Pokémon Centers across the Pokémon universe. Regardless of the Pokémon town or region, players entering a Pokémon Center will be greeted by Nurse Joy, who offers to heal any injured Pokémon the player may have. If the player accepts the service, Nurse Joy will take the Pokémon away and return it moments later, fully restored.
Should the player decline, however, Nurse Joy is known to say, “We hope to see you again.” On the surface, this seems like a run-of-the-mill, if slightly tone deaf, goodbye. The primary reason players visit Nurse Joy is because their Pokémon are wounded. By wishing to see the player again, Nurse Joy is effectively praying for their Pokémon to get hurt. Why would she do this, and why has this viral Pokémon creepypasta idea (illustrated in the PokéCommunity forums here over a decade ago) gotten so popular?
Nurse Joy's "Sisters" Are Probably Clones
The answer is in the nature of Nurse Joy herself. Why is it that no matter where players go, a Nurse Joy is never very far away? The episode “Drifloon On the Wind!” of the Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl anime reveals that Joy is not Nurse Joy’s first name, but rather her family surname. The many Nurse Joys seen throughout the Pokémon universe are all members of the Joy family and refer to one another as “sisters.”
While this may explain the number of Nurse Joys in the series, it doesn’t explain their identical looks. Family resemblance may be one thing, but how is it that every Nurse Joy sports the same pink hair, height, and smile? It’s simply not possible without facing facts: the Nurse Joys must all be clones. Furthermore, by acknowledging each other as sisters, they appear to be self-aware of their identity as clones. In all likelihood, they control their own cloning technology, which they operate as a collective.
The many Nurse Joys in the Pokémon universe appear to genuinely wish to aid the player. In the Pokémon Centers, they are presented with all manner of Pokémon flora and fauna, many of whom are near death. How is it that they never lose a patient? The answer is simple: they euthanize the injured Pokémon, then replace it with a clone. It’s far more efficient. The injured Pokémon is painlessly relieved of its suffering, and the player is quickly back to their quest. Viewed under the lens of utilitarian ethics, it’s the obvious course of action.
This theory seems admittedly brutal, but the Nurse Joys’ smiles are genuine. While their methods may be grisly, they simply wish to aid Pokémon players the best way they know.